Stars eating pizza, all the dresses and one EPIC selfie... Oscar ratings are highest for a decade as 43 million tune in

It was the year that Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts chowed down on pizza, John Travolta caused a storm by mispronouncing Idina Menzel's name and Ellen DeGeneres took one truly epic selfie.

So it's no wonder that the 2014 Oscars proved to be a ratings hit - with an estimated 43 million people tuning in to watch the show.

The figures make the three hour and 10 minute broadcast of the Academy Awards the most-watched in a decade, and the most popular entertainment event on television since the Friends finale back in 2004.

Popular choice: Ellen has always been a safe bet, as her 2007 hosting of the awards was a hit as well

The Nielsen company said Monday that
Oscar viewership was up for the third straight year, and is considered
yet another example of how social media is helping to drive up the
ratings for big television events.

According to reports, there were a staggering 11.2million tweets about the Oscars itself.

The
Oscars, which aired Sunday, are usually the second most-watched
television program of the year in the United States, after the Super
Bowl.

One epic selfie: One of the best moments of the awards was when Ellen gathered a group of stars to take a selfie

Chowing down: Ellen also ensured the guests were fed and watered by handing out pizza

In comparison to other awards ceremonies this year, the Golden Globes drew 20.9million viewers, and the Grammy Awards, 28.5million.

Ellen was host of the Academy Awards for a second time, replacing the edgy Seth MacFarlane, who had the job last year.

But Seth's hosting skills weren't enough to draw in the kind of crowds Ellen attracts, with the comedienne drawing in an extra 2.5million viewers compared to the Family Guy star, who saw 40.4million tune in to his show.

And Ellen is certainly a safe bet when it comes to hosting the show as, when she hosted the awards back in 2007, she attracted 40.2million viewers and a rating of 14.1 with adults between the ages of 18 and 49 - a rating which hasn't been beaten since.

This year, Ellen had a rating of 12.9 in the same category.

However, Ellen still has a way to go if she is to beat the most-watched Oscars show ever - which took place in 1998 when 55.3million tuned in.